Between the Lines of Life
by Phantomhowl
Summary: AU. DxS. To those who can see behind the veil, to those who can see the undeniable truth; they shall live inbetween the walls of life and death, fated for eternity. This is the story of one of those fated.
1. Prologue

_Yeeeaaah. This took wayyy too long. Sorry about that, folks. Hopefully the long wait'll be worth it for you readers._

_I want to thank everyone who reviewed, read, faved, watched, etc back with the old story. That meant alot._

_And before you guys hog out on the Prologue, I have one last thing to say. Danny Phantom does NOT belong to me. I just came up with the storyline._

_With that said and done: please enjoy!_

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**Between the Lines of Life**

_© Phantomhowl '10_

**- Prologue -**

Life and death: two simple words with many words to describe them. Opposites they are. One is hated, the other loved. Almost every complex creature living on this earth understands the meanings of these words to a degree, whether with a loved family member dieing or a newborn child coming into the world. No matter who you are, or where you life, these two words are everywhere, and cannot be escaped from.

But what if there is something we're missing in our so-called 'understanding'? What if there's a small detail that's always been right under our noses, but we are just too oblivious to notice it? What if that detail could solve many unanswerable questions…but be equally harmful at the same time? Could we discover this, and if so, will it be in time to save our human race?

As intelligent as the human race is, there's always something we may never discover, never see, and never learn. However, there are those rare few who experience things that can only haunt the minds of human beings. These few know the truth about which fables and tales are true or false. They know that keeping their mouth shut about what they see is the best thing for them to do, while the known, yet unknown entities are all around them twenty-four seven.

Who are these few and how can we recognize one when we see them? The world may never know…

**» » || « «**

The night was chilled, as it was fall. The leaves of deciduous trees were painted with brilliant yellows, oranges, and reds with their fading green color mixed here and there. A nippy wind wove it's way around any obstacle, every once in a while trying to penetrate through the building walls in vain to get at the smart beings who were inside.

In one particular house, just close enough and far away enough to be considered comfortable country living, was a cozy little family of three: a mother, a father, and their only son. Everyone was sleeping, except for the five-year-old son. The boy lay on his back, gazing at the ceiling wide-awake. So far all his attempts to fall asleep had failed, and his young brain was racing with thoughts. This was making the boy rather upset. However, something was keeping him awake because something wasn't quite right tonight.

Finally deciding that just lying there wasn't helping him a bit, he got out of his bed and made his way to the hallway. The moonlight that filtered through his window was cast upon his raven black hair, giving his hair a curious sort of glow before he left the light, going into the slightly darker hallway. He made his way to the kitchen where the moonlight found him again as he reached for his cup of water. Holding the cup between his two hands he successfully got it down without spilling its contents, bringing it up to his mouth to drink.

After he got his fill of water for the time being, putting his cup back, he went back to his bedroom. He climbed back in his bed, and looked outside through the window that was next to his bed. The full moon caught his attention almost immediately. The glittering stars were ignored, as the celestial glow of the moon seemed to hypnotize the young boy. _Look at me, young one_, it seemed to say to him, _look at me and all your worries will be no more_. That was all he needed to hear; that was all he wanted right now.

So wrapped up in the moon was he that he failed to notice a figure with a super-natural aurora and blood-red glowing eyes filled with blood-lust appear in the hallway just in front of his bedroom doorway. The figure then disappeared with a malignant smirk. The child was too young; he wouldn't get in the way tonight. This would be the night that he could do what he's always wanted to do. This night was the night of his revenge.

The boy suddenly jolted back to reality when a scream of pain rang through the house. _Bad moon,_ he thought half in fear half in displeasure, then thinking, _Mommy!_ He got down for his bed as quickly as he could without falling, hurrying to his parent's room. When he got there, fear instantly froze him to his spot. _Mommy…_

His mother lay on the floor before him, most likely dead, as blood was flowing quickly through a large gash running from her neck to her stomach. The father was awake, looking at his wife with eyes shadowed in grief, confusion, and pain. Then he caught sight of his son, going over to him and attempting to direct him away from the horrid scene.

Unfortunately the boy wouldn't budge willingly, and when the supernatural murderer turned its gaze to him, he wouldn't budge at all. The father was becoming panicked, but had no idea what to do. The boy had tuned out everything else as his eyes darted up to meet the glowing ones as it spoke.

"Little boy, come with me. This is no place for someone like you to live in. They'll never understand your ability…they'll never know your potential." it said, calmly and with an odd soothing tone. This soothing tone was slightly disturbing to the boy.

_Why me have to go with _you_?_ he hissed, _And why you hurt mommy?_

"You must come with me because this is not the place you belong, my boy."

He narrowed his eyes, noticing the being was ignoring his second question. The fact that these beings didn't like to be questioned about such things repeatedly didn't scare him in the least right now, so he repeated his question. _Why you hurt mommy?_ Tears had begun to well up in his eyes, knowing very well that his mother was not coming back. Not in any of these realms.

It's voice hardened, becoming scathing. "That is none of your concern, _child_."

In a blink on an eye the creature was behind the boy and his father, a choking and hacking noise from the father came in the next instant. Everything seemed to slow down. The last thump of his father's heart as the parent fell to the floor with a bang, the splatter of his father's blood on the floor, the wall, and himself, the Cheshire cat grin that spread across the murderer's face, though his back was to it. Then time sped back up to normal as the murderer grabbed him by his pajama shirt, lifting him up to eye level.

"Remember this day, child, remember it well," it crackled half-maniacally, "Because this is the day that your troubles begin, this is the day that your nightmare becomes reality. Remember this day…!"

The boy's vision faded to black soon after.

**» » || « «**

When he finally came to, light was just beginning to flood through the window above him. It was morning. He just lay there for a minute, the happenings of that night crashing upon him like a tsunami. His eyes began to fill with tears; small sobs flowing through the unusually quiet house. Then he thought of something. Maybe this was all just a dream, just a horrible nightmare. Thinking of this he slowly got out of his bed, wandering out into the hallway, and then froze. It was real. He was indeed living a nightmare, and there was no way out.

He lay down on the floor in front of where his dead father lay, crying his heart out. That…that monster, oh how he hated that monster. That monster was to blame for this. That monster was to blame for making him an orphan. Now he was on his own, and no one knew.

Finally getting up off the floor, the boy decided to leave. He wanted to get away from this place, no matter how much he wanted to stay where he had always felt safe. This had been his safe place. Until now.

The boy thought quickly, going into his room and grabbing his blanket, his stuffed kitten named Patches, and a pocket watch his parents gave him on his fifth birthday that he was not allowed to play with or touch until his sixth birthday. He put the pocket watch around his neck and left the room quickly, heading straight for the open front door. The boy paused for a moment, not remembering the door being open. Shrugging off the odd situation, he hurried outside, still in his pajamas, and left the property never to come back again.

The date: October 3, 1998.

**» » || « «**

It was the day after he ran away, and he was feeling no better. He was tired, hungry, thirsty, and was chilled from being out in the cold with nothing but his pajamas and his blanket to keep him warm. There was no doubt about him coming down with a cold within a day or two.

He simply had to find someone to help him. Oh, yes, there were vehicles that passed him, but none of them paid attention to the miserable five-year-old.

Then, a particular vehicle slowed to a stop next to where the child sat near the side of the road. The door on the driver's side opened, a red-haired woman with aqua blue eyes stepped out, walked around the front of the vehicle and right over to him. The woman knelt down in front of him, studying him with worry and concern. What in the world had happened to this poor child?

"Sweetie," she began gently, "Where are your parents?"

The boy hesitated, wary of talking to strangers. _Don't worry, _a little voice inside him said, _you can trust the lady. She can help you._ He gave into the voice, answering with a small sob to the edge of his voice. "They dead." The boy saw the woman stiffen in shock. "They w-were killed." He hugged his stuffed kitten tighter, which was a bit dirty by now.

"Where do you live?" she asked, the boy replying by pointing down the road to his left. "And what is your name?"

"Danny."

"Well, Danny, would you like to come with me? We'll have you cleaned and fed soon enough."

He thought for a moment. The boy did want to be fed and cleaned, and surely warmth would come with that too. It seemed like a good idea to him, and the little voice gave no protest either. He nodded his head in reply.

The woman gave a kind smile, holding out a hand to him, of which he took. "Come on, then." She led him to the vehicle and put him inside, buckling him and herself up. After closing her door she stepped on the gas pedal and drove away. Glancing briefly toward Danny, she determined to find out what exactly happened that put this child in such a sad position. _I'd like to know what kind of heartless person would do such a thing, if what this child said were true. He's surely scarred for life, the poor thing._

**» » || « «**

It wasn't long before the kind woman pulled up into a driveway of what looked like a house, her house perhaps. She turned off the vehicle and unbuckled herself and Danny.

"Ok. We're here, Danny. Lets go inside now."

They had only taken one step inside when a loud voice boomed through the house. "Maddie! You're home! You won't believe what I discovered just now!"

"Jack! Quiet down; we have a visitor. Don't give him a bad first impression," the woman corrected the giant orange-suited man.

"But Maddie…" Jack started to protest, but got cut off.

"No buts." Maddie looked down and sure enough Danny was hiding behind her, peeking around her legs cautiously. She sighed. "It's ok, Danny. Jack won't hurt you." The boy moved out from behind her some, not entirely sure about how safe this mass of loud orange-suited man was. He wasn't the first to think that, that's for sure.

Jack gave her a quizzical look.

She sighed. "I'll explain. Danny, could you go sit over there on the sofa? I'll get to you in a bit, ok?"

Danny nodded then walked over to the sofa and sprawled out on it. _Soft…_ It had been awhile sense he laid on something soft even if it was only a day or so ago. To him it felt like weeks. Several long, painful, dreadful weeks. He would be ok now, though. This kind woman would help him and maybe even the giant orange man would too. He smiled a bit. Yes, maybe things would be ok now.

While Danny was relaxing the two adults had took the conversation to the kitchen. Maddie had filled a glass with water and took a seat at the kitchen table. Jack was sitting across from her, waiting for an explanation.

"I was one my way home from the meeting and saw the boy sitting on the side of the road, depressed and dirty. Then I had this feeling that this boy needed some help and that I should stop. So I did. I asked him where his parents where and…Jack, he said that his parents were _killed._"

"How do you know that's true?" Jack asked, acting a bit uncharacteristically serious for once.

Maddie was surprised at her husband's reply, her surprise echoed in her voice. "I know it's true because he was so sincere. Why would you doubt the poor thing?"

"Because he's a ghost, that's why!" the orange-suited man interjected, all signs if his odd behavior now gone.

She raised an eyebrow. "Jack, I had the ghost sensor device with me in the RV the whole time and not once did it go off."

Jack blinked, looking dumbfounded. "Oh."

"If you'll excuse me I have to give Danny a bath and fix dinner, now."

Her husband instantly brightened up. "Ok! I'll be down in the lab. Come down latter, I still want to show you what I discovered!"

Maddie gave a small smile. "Of course, Jack."

With that he scampered off to the lab like an overgrown kid. She chuckled. Some things never change no matter how old you get.

Soon enough Danny had his bath and was glad to be rid of the dried blood that had been stuck to his raven black hair. He felt almost as energetic as he had before _that_ happened. Almost. Everything was looking better, though, and that was enough to make him feel happy, at least for now.

Danny was wearing some old girl clothes that almost fit while his pajamas were being washed. He had literally stuck his tongue out at wearing it, but Maddie said that it was only temporary so he gave in, though reluctantly. Still sulking about it, Danny moseyed over to the sofa again, sitting down.

Suddenly the front door opened and closed. "Mom! I'm h-" the red-headed girl paused, starring at the strange little boy in _her_ families' house. Danny starred right back, unsure of how to react. Then the girl asked a bit rudely, "Who're you?"

Maddie walked into the room with a slightly amused look. "Hi sweetie. This little boy was in need of help when I found him, so he's going to be here for awhile, ok?"

The girl thought this over for a moment. This wouldn't be too bad, and mom wouldn't bring a stranger in the house without a good reason. She smiled. "Ok, mom."

"Dinner will be ready in half an hour. If you need help with your homework, let me know." With that Maddie returned to the kitchen.

Danny and the girl looked at each other again. The girl smiled at him. "Hi! My name is Jazz, what's yours?"

"Danny."

"Nice to meet you, Danny! Want to do something when I'm done with my homework?"

He wasn't sure what homework meant but that didn't change his answer. Danny brightened up some. "Yeah!"

Maddie smiled to herself as she stirred the contents of the pot on the stove. She had no doubt the two would get along, but she never thought Danny would stay with them; it never even crossed her mind. _Well, I'll go to the police station tomorrow with Danny and report the situation. I'm sure that'll get this whole situation straightened out, and that the poor thing will have a safe place to call home. _

Just then a small explosion sounded from the lab, and Danny let out a surprised and amused squeal, Jazz snickering a bit. "I'm ok!" came her husband's booming voice from the lab. Maddie chuckled, muttering to herself, "I'm sure you are…"

**

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**

_And that is that. R & R, folks! I know you want to._


	2. Chapter One

_Hello again! Sorry about this taking longer than I expected. ;n; I had some difficultly on what stuff to add for the last parts._

_I haven't mention this yet, but this fanfic will contain some ocs, and possibly have some 'spiritual hints' in it. I'm not looking to offend anyone's religion, and keep it as neutral as I possibly can. This only popped up as I was finishing this chapter, so it was unexpected. _

_Also, thank you, once again to those who reviewed!_

_I don't own Danny Phantom, but I do own this idea and my oc(s) that will pop up. Enjoy, folks!_

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**Between the Lines of Life**

_© Phantomhowl '10_

**-Chapter One-**

Of all unpleasant noises to wake up to, an overprotective and slightly annoying sister banging on your bedroom door and repeatedly telling you to wake up was one of them. Unfortunately for a certain fourteen-year-old boy, this was exactly what he woke up to on a fine September morning. Oh, the irony.

"Danny! Are you up yet? We have school today, you know, so you can't stay in bed all morning."

Said person grumbled under his breath, trying to block out his sister's voice with his pillow, having no luck. It was the worst day of the week to be woken up like so: the day that starts the school week and the day that ends the weekend. The day that many kids would rather not exist: Monday.

Too bad for him he had no choice but to get up and get ready for school. So, while his sister was jabbering away, that's exactly what he did. With reluctance he got out of bed and shuffled his feet over to get his clothes for the day.

"Did you fall asleep on me again? Danny-" She was cut off as the bedroom door was opened, revealing her dressed brother, hair combed and everything.

"'Morning, Jazz," he said, observing with slight amusement his sister's half-dumbfounded face. He continued past her to the bathroom, leaving Jazz to collect herself.

For a moment she continued to stand there, then opened her mouth and then closed it, having changed her mind. After repeating this several times looking much like a fish while at it, she gathered herself together, blinking, and continued on her way to whatever she had planned next.

**» » || « «**

School went by pretty fast- much to Danny's pleasure- and it was already lunch. Once he got his lunch served he headed over to an empty table, soon to be joined by a certain Goth girl and Techno geek.

Danny glanced over at the cloudy amethyst-eyed Goth as she took a seat. "Didn't get enough sleep?" he asked, noting the tiredness that she was just barely hiding.

"You wouldn't have gotten enough sleep either if your parents pestered you with frilly pink dresses and worried over you." she retorted before taking a bite out of an apple.

"Geez, Sam, there's no need to snap at him."

Danny glanced over at Tucker, turning his gaze back to Sam as she mumbled an apology. "No need to apologize." Sam blinked at him silently as the three fell quiet.

"Oh, yeah," Sam perked up a bit, looking at Danny, "How's that portal thing coming along?"

"It's coming all right," he chuckled lightly, "They stay up 'til midnight working on that thing. Luckily they weren't banging around on it the past few days so I could get a bit more sleep."

"How long until it's done?"

He swallowed a bite he just finished chewing, and then answered after a brief pause. "Uh…I'm not sure. Maybe another week or two; maybe three. Why?"

"Oh…no reason," Sam offhandedly replied, taking another bite out of her apple.

"Right," Danny drawled, rolling his eyes.

"What she means is that we'd like to take a look at it when its finished." That earned Tucker a quick glare from Sam, making him shrink back a bit. "What?" he protested.

Danny chuckled, watching as a transparent mongoose climbed up on top of their table and began to sniff around. "If you want to see it when its finished, I'll let you. _However_, we'll do that while my parents aren't at home. They'd go into a long speech about ghost hunting equipment and their studies again before they'd even let you into the lab. I know you guys hate those speeches."

His two best friends nodded quickly, remembering the last time they were cornered and had no choice but to sit and listen to the Fenton's ghost ramblings. Unfortunately, Jack was the one doing it that time. "Yes," Sam replied slowly, "That would be a great idea…"

The blue-eyed teen smiled lightly before getting lost in thought. Of course, Danny kept an eye on that mongoose. Those things can tend to be pests if you don't watch them when they're near.

Years had passed since the death of Danny's real parents. He had gotten over it as time passed, though there was still a pang of sadness that rippled through his heart when they were brought up in a conversation. Time was definitely healing him, slowly but surely.

Jack, Maddie, and Jazz Fenton had become close to him over the years, and though it would never be the same, he thought of them as family. He'd give up basically anything for them to stay alive, even if it costed him his own life. Danny may have lost two people he cared a lot for already, but he refused for it to happen again. Life now was wonderful; he wasn't sure if he'd be able to move on again. Truthfully, he didn't want to.

A sudden eerie spark to the air snapped him out of his thoughts as he finished eating, and it wasn't the mongoose. _Crap. Not now…_ Danny sighed to himself exasperatedly.

He stood up, picking up the cafeteria tray. "I'm heading to the restroom. I'll see you in the next class." he said shortly. With that, Danny deposited the tray and headed toward the previously stated location.

The African American eyed his best friend as he left the cafeteria. Danny always seemed to leave suddenly nowadays. It puzzled him to no end. What was his friend hiding from them? Why couldn't he just tell them if something was bothering him? Was it so bad that he was too ashamed to tell anyone? Tucker sighed, gazing down at his cafeteria tray.

"Hey. Don't worry about him so much, Tucker. He'll be fine."

Tucker looked up at Sam. She had a reassuring expression on her face, but he wasn't satisfied. "But-" he started to protest, only to get cut off.

"No buts. Danny's been through plenty already. If something really is wrong, he can get through it."

"Sam, I know that, but I can't help worrying. The way he just suddenly gets up and leaves…and sometimes he's not where he said was going to be. And how sometimes when he comes back he has a few wounds, scratches, and maybe even some scrapes? Doesn't that seem strange to you?"

The raven-haired girl paused for a second, putting a few things back into her lunchbox and closing it. "Good point, but like I said, don't worry so much."

'_And what about yourself, hm?'_ an echoing voice asked with a chuckle within her head, '_You should use your own advise, hun.'_

Sam's eye twitched slightly. _There's no need to rub it in my face._

The voice scoffed. '_Rubbing it in your face? I'd never do such a thing!'_

_Liar._

The voice snorted then went back to being quiet. It knew when to end a conversation: it wasn't stupid.

Tucker still wasn't satisfied. _I'm going to find out what's up with Danny; I don't care what Sam says. I can't just shrug it off like that. It isn't that easy._

**» » || « «**

Meanwhile, Danny continued past the restrooms, finally stopping when he reached a rarely passed hallway. _Perfect. The others shouldn't bother me here. Alright, come and get me, basterd._ Danny let a smirk grace over his lips. _I know you want to._

As if on cue a transparent, glowing thing began to form before him, taking the shape of a huge mutated snake. It was brown with black and glowing red markings, with pitch black eyes. It raised its horned head; little bat wings connected just below the head unfolded themselves as it let out a noise somewhere between a hiss and a screech.

"Yeah, I hear ya. You going to attack or not?" Danny queried, raising an eyebrow.

The serpent growled, then shot out toward him in a blur. He sidestepped at an almost equal speed, causing the creature to hit its head on the wall, leaving a fine hole behind. Danny let out a whistle. "Glad I'm not paying for that."

With a low hiss the serpent turned back to him, lashing out again. It wrapped itself around the teen and gave him a sharp slap to the face with the tip of its tail, causing him to yelp in surprise. "Not so smart now, are you?" it hissed out, its tongue flickering out, touching him a few times.

Danny shrunk away from the tongue, not bothering to struggle against the snake's coils. That wouldn't be something smart to do. "I'm not smart? True, in a sense, but you're the one who was stupid enough to come here. Now, if you would be so kind as to _let go of me_ I'd appreciate that. I'm on a time limit here, you know."

Its lips drew back in a grin, showing a mouthful of sharp teeth and two long fangs. "Then I'll make this quick to spare you the time you'll never be able to use…" The mouth opened as the creature drew its head back, ready to strike.

"Dude. You either have some communication issues, or you don't understand the English language all that well. How about I send you back home so you can study?" Danny raised an arm that he managed to get free, grabbing the serpent's underbelly.

The creature paused for a moment. Nothing seemed to happen. "Ha! Pitiful brat!" It sneered and went in for the kill without hesitation this time, only to feel a sharp almost electrical shock shoot through its body. _What is this? Its like it's eating at me from the inside out…but it isn't. This boy can't possibly be one of_ them _can he…?_ Its body loosened its hold on Danny just as transparent electricity weaved and danced around itself. A hissing screech split the air around them.

"Have fun, buddy." That was the last thing it heard as it disappeared to who-knows-where in a couple of flashes.

Danny dusted off his hands, turning around and heading to the next class just as the bell rang. "Perfect timing," he muttered, hurrying off through the hallways.

**» » || « «**

At last the last bell rang, all the students heading for the classroom door at once. Pushing and shoving ensued along with protesting voices when one was squished a bit too much. The mass of teens' chattering drowned out the teacher's last reminders about homework being due tomorrow.

Once the classroom was empty, the overweight teacher sighed. Teenagers these days. But no matter: he had the rest of the day to himself for once, and he couldn't wait to dig into a splendid meal at his favorite restaurant later on.

He finished packing all the needed stuff, and headed out to the hallway, making his way to the teacher's lounge before he left. Whistling a pleasant tune, he rounded a corner and walked on. Then he paused, blinking. He thought he saw something. The over-weight teacher backtracked, stopped, and turned to face the wall…that had a huge dent in it.

There was only one response to this: "_The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn_! What happened here?"

**» » || « «**

It was dark, other than the light emitted from the various lights and screens, but the darkness was compressing, suffocating. A blood-curdling scream echoed in the room, almost blocking out the humming of the equipment-laden room. Labored breathing followed as the scream faded away, a small splattering noise joining in.

"Why…" a young male voice rasped. You could tell his voice had been used for screaming and yelling for a long time. "Why are you-"

He was cut off with his answer: a slap echoed through the room. "Silence! Do not question things, brat, and what have I told you about speaking freely?"

Only the humming of the machines greeted his ears along with the raspy breaths that the young male took. Though it was barely noticeable with such lighting, the man smirked. "Thought so."

Suddenly the door was opened; another man entered the room looking much like a researcher, complete with glasses and a white lab coat. The boy shrank away from the light and squinted his eyes, being unaccustomed to such brightness. The newcomer looked over the teen before directing his gaze to the other man. "Is the subject ready, sir?"

"Yes, he is. He shouldn't bring you much trouble this time around: he's too weak to try anything." replied the first man. He stepped into the light that came through the doorway, a clipboard in hand. Along with a white lab coat, black pants, grey tennis shoes, and a white shirt, he had a tattoo on his lower right arm of thorned vines that bared a stone with a unique marking on it. His almost yellow hazel eyes complemented his golden nametag of which read: Dr. Vascri.

"Good. Bring the stretcher in!" A stretcher was brought in, and they unlocked the braces that held the teen in place. He fell limply onto the stretcher, his face contorting in pain as such shot through his body. His joints ached like hell: especially the bases of his wings. _That's right_, he thought idly, _My wings are still out._ He opened a golden eye slightly, watching the men bustle around him. Why were they doing this? Because he's a freak of nature? Surely they were going to kill him, but why were they taking so long?

The winged boy closed his eyes as he was taken out into the hallway. His black and gold wings twitched every so often as an after effect of the electrical shock. Unfortunately, the twitching was painful as well. He moved a wing slowly to block out the light as his eyes were starting to hurt from it.

He faintly registered being brought into another dark room. This one had less equipment. There was a seat in the center of the room with a ring around it that would be about eye-level to the person sitting. There was also a tall light about a foot high attached to the ring. His eyes widened as he recognized the machine.

A cold chuckle reached his ears, making him wince. "You know what that is, huh? Don't bother fighting it, brat; you'll be a puppet in no time. You're just the thing we need in this God-forsaken country." He knew the basterd was right. His strength was drained, and it hurt to move, especially with his aching joints.

The men opened the ring and pulled him in, dropping him in the seat, quite to the distain of his body. His wrists and ankles were once again secured as well as his neck and wings. Then those hands went for his eyes. He panicked, not liking that they wanted to touch a valued place, but he couldn't move his head away enough due to the neck brace. The teen cursed mentally.

"Stay still, brat!" Came the harsh bark of the man trying to get to his eyes. The man pushed his head against the headrest of the seat forcefully and pried the eyelids of one of his eyes apart. Immediately he felt the coldness of little metal 'fingers' holding his eyelids back so he couldn't blink. It was unsettling. The same was done with his other eye, and the men got out of the circle once something was lowered around his forehead.

The foot-high light turned on, shining a bright white color. He instinctively tried to squint his eyes. Bad idea. His mind faintly registered that only the 'doctor' was by the ring; everyone else had cleared away to the walls. Just then the white light began to move, following it's chosen path that was the ring.

A flicker of sadness entered his golden eyes, a black strand of hair falling in front of his face. _Father upon high,_ he thought mournfully as the light disappeared behind him, reappearing in his right. _I know that I am cast from your sight…_ The light came back around to his left side and disappeared behind him. _But please have mercy…_ His golden eyes began to loose some of their brightness as the light came back into his range of sight. _And help me free myself from this horrid future…_ The light circled him once and came back around, the emotion slowly draining from his eyes. _Starting from this cursed day on…guide my heart each night!_

The doctor smirked as the golden eyes lost the light that they had once known. "You will serve us. You will do as ordered. You will let nothing interfere in your orders. You will fight for the United States of America and no one else," he droned in a half-chant.

The blank, emotionless face of the teen stared straight at him, though seemingly looking straight through him as though he was not there. Of course, doctor was unfazed, and he spoke again: "Do you agree, brat?"

His only response was a longing tongue moistening the teen's lips. The doctor's smirk grew. That was all the answer he needed.

**» » || « «**

Outside the building a crow had been perched on a branch of a nearby tree. It had not left that spot since yesterday, and had hardly even turned its head at that. Anyone probably would've thought it to be a statue or some sort of realistic decoration. Until its head moved up toward the sky, that is.

Its eyes bore a mix of emotions that were centered around sorrow as it gazed at the grey clouds that warned of a storm. _Master…may all of Heaven hear your plea. I'll never forget you, nor will I give up on you. I shall wait for you, this I swear._

The crow blinked its eyes, lowering its chest and spreading its wings. It sprang from the branch, the branch bouncing up and down for a bit as the crow beat it wings to carry it away. A slight breeze helped lift it higher, rustling the trees as it did so.

What was this world coming to?

* * *

_Another thing. You may have noticed my lack of describing the characters as they come in so far. I promise their appearance will be described later on, because I'm planning on revamping some of their looks and I haven't yet done that. xP And the fight scene may seem kinda...cut short. I'm sorry about that, but there wasn't much I could do to make it longer._

_That's about it. R & R! I hear the button is giving out free cookies. C;_


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